Allahabad stampede failure of centre and UP: BJP

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Last Updated: Mon, Feb 11, 2013 08:00 hrs

New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday said the stampede at Allahabad railway station Sunday night exposed the failure of the central as well as the Uttar Pradesh government in managing large congregations.

"We pay our homage to all those who are dead and pray for early recovery for those who are injured. This is the failure of both central and state governments. Bansal cannot wash his hands of the tragedy by giving technical answers like the footover bridge did not collapse," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

"Stampede happened at the station, as there was much chaos. It could have been managed in a better way... This has been happening in every religious congregation," he said.

BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi claimed the Kumbh Mela officials and local authorities did not have a crowd management plan.

"It was expected of the government and the authorities to manage properly such a grand scale gathering. This time there was a record breaking crowd (in Allahabad). Yet, the officials did not have any plan to manage the crowd's movement, nor did they know how to handle the situation," Joshi told a TV news channel.

At least 36 people were killed and over a dozen injured in the stampede following the collapse of an overbridge railing at the Allahabad railway station Sunday night under pressure of the Kumbh Mela rush, an official said Monday.

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal Monday clarified that the stampede did not occur due to breaking of a footover bridge railing, as earlier believed. He also ruled out lack of arrangements, and said the reasons for stampede would be inquired into.